The act of executing someone by suspending them by the neck, or decorative fabrics and tapestries hung on walls.
From Old English 'hon' meaning 'to suspend,' combined with the -ing suffix to create a gerund. Originally referred to the punishment method, but later extended to include wall decorations that 'hang' on surfaces.
Hangings were once a common public execution in medieval Europe, but the word took on a completely different meaning when it started referring to elaborate tapestries—the same word switched from describing tragedy to describing interior design!
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